However, when it comes to individual accolades, CSU ranks near the bottom.

After starting 23 of 27 games last season as a freshman, Colorado State guard Caitlin Duffy has come off the bench this year to average 11.0 points and 4.7 rebounds, part of a team-first approach for the first-place Rams.
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Steve Stoner
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Just once in 15 weeks has a Ram been named the conference player of the week, back on Dec. 9 when senior forward Sam Martin received the honor. New Mexico, Boise State, Utah State, San Diego State, Fresno State and Wyoming have all won the award at least twice, yet the fact CSU has won it just once perhaps best describes why the program is enjoying its best season in more than a decade.

It's not that the Rams lack a go-to player. It's that the go-to player seems to fluctuate game to game, and sometimes even possession to possession.

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"I think that's what makes us so hard to scout and to stop, because you really don't know night to night who could go off," said sophomore guard Caitlin Duffy, one of seven different players to lead the team in scoring in a game this season. "That's what makes a great team, I think. If you look at any level, to be a successful program that's what you need: girls that are on the floor and girls who don't even get any playing time are also playing great in practice, and that's what makes us a great team."

The Rams enter Tuesday night's big matchup at second-place Boise State (14-9, 9-3) having lost just once since Dec. 1, a span of 17 games. Such a streak requires a team to be incredibly consistent, which the Rams have been thanks largely to their balance.

"That's who we are; we're a total team. It's just been that way. These kids pick each other up. It's hard to focus on one or two kids in our lineup and shut them down and feel like you're going to shut the Rams down," said coach Ryun Williams, whose team holds a 2.5-game lead over Boise State. "That's why we've been pretty consistent in our play, because we do have I think a fair number of bullets that on any given night can have a really nice night.

"And it's not just offensively, either. They all rebound well. They all defend really well."

CSU's scoring balance is just the start, with Sam Martin, AJ Newton, Gritt Ryder, Elin Gustavsson, Ellen Nystrom and Duffy all averaging at least 9.1 points a game. Five of them -- Nystrom, Martin, Gustavsson, Duffy and Ryder -- also average at least 4.5 rebounds per game, while three -- Ryder, Newton and Nystrom -- all dish out at least 3.5 assists per game.

Added altogether, and that makes up a majority of the team's production. However, the rest of the roster also has a tremendous impact, Duffy says.

"I think our coaches expect everything out of everyone, so you can't slack in any area or any certain statistic," said Duffy, who leads the MW in free throw and 3-point percentage. "I think that's what makes us so well-rounded, continuing to push each other every day in practice. It's really competitive all the time. So I think that really builds each person in every single area of the game."

But as nice as all those stats look on paper, Williams says the players are only concerned about one thing: winning. Which is why the lone player of the week honor isn't as much of a slight as it might seem.

"These kids care about one thing, winning basketball games -- not about all-conference, or player of the week or what have you. They really don't," Williams said. "It's about what we get done after a 40-minute game, whether they score two points as an individual or 20 points as an individual, it really doesn't matter. And that's not just lip service, either. They really don't, and I surely appreciate that."

That selfless approach might seem like a given for every team. But Williams said it's actually quite rare. And it's not by accident, either. The second-year coach put together this group with a very specific plan in mind, one that is playing out to near perfection with the program winning 20 games for the first time since 2003.

"You've got high-character kids that understand what our mission is, and they understand the best way to go about it is a team approach. We knew that. We knew that in our recruiting, too," he said. "Watching these kids, you see really good skill, but these kids are also really good at making the kids around them better."

"To me that's a really good basketball player -- not so much a kid that goes and gets 25 every night. It's gotta be more than that. It's gotta be, do they make their teammates better? Do they rebound? Do they defend? Do they run the floor? I think that's what's made us close to where we're at right now."

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